effigy

noun

ef·​fi·​gy ˈe-fə-jē 

plural effigies

: an image or representation especially of a person

especially : a crude figure representing a hated person

Phrases

in effigy

: publicly in the form of an effigy

the football coach was burned in effigy

Did you know?

An earlier sense of effigy is "a likeness of a person shaped out of stone or other materials," so it's not surprising to learn that effigy derives, by way of Middle French, from the Latin effigies, which, in turn, comes from the verb effingere ("to form"), a combination of the prefix ­ex- and fingere, which means "to shape." Fingere is the common ancestor of a number of other English nouns that name things you can shape. A fiction is a story you shape with your imagination. Figments are shaped by the imagination, too; they're something you imagine or make up. A figure can be a numeral, a shape, or a picture that you shape as you draw or write.

Examples of effigy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Someone even hung an effigy outside a pub in south London. —Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 11 June 2024

In the weeks afterward, authorities arrested people involved in other racist actions against Vinícius, including four men -- fans of Real Madrid’s cross-town rival, Atletico Madrid -- who were punished for hanging an effigy of Vinícius Júnior from a bridge in the city in January 2023. —Bill Chappell, NPR, 10 June 2024

Three — possibly four — canoes are from the Late Woodland period, when corn farming and effigy mounds were prevalent. —Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 23 May 2024

As with the previous putsches, this one featured the spectacle of young people trampling French flags and burning French President Emmanuel Macron in effigy while wrapping themselves in Russian flags and waving posters bearing the image of Russian President Vladimir Putin. —Ebenezer Obadare, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French effigie, borrowed from Latin effigiēs "representation, copy, specter," from effig-, variant stem of effingere "to shape, portray, copy" (from ef-, variant before f of ex- ex- entry 1 + fingere "to mold, fashion, make a likeness of") + -iēs, deverbal noun suffix — more at feign

First Known Use

1539, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing effigy

• hang/burn in effigy
• in effigy

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Kids Definition

effigy

noun

ef·​fi·​gy ˈef-ə-jē 

plural effigies

: a likeness especially of a person

especially : a crude figure meant to represent a hated person

hanged their cruel ruler in effigy